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Timeline

Formation of World Council of Churches

Dan Graves, MSL

The church is the body of Christ. One body. As Nicea's authoritative
creed puts it, "We believe in...one holy catholic and apostolic
church." The true church is invisible, Christ alone knows who
belongs to him. Yet most Christians are appalled that the visible church
should be fragmented, each fragment attacking the others.

Almost from the inception of the Reformation with its breakup of the
Western church, men have striven to restore unity, some by sword, some
by reason and goodwill. Martin Bucer worked to iron out divisions within
Protestantism; Liebnitz tried to gather an international conference to
discuss reunification of Lutherans and Catholics; Hugo Grotius cried
like a voice in the wilderness not only for international law but
reconciliation. Count Zinzendorf founded a successful experiment at
Herrnhut, where a diverse group of believers was welded together into a
unity of great spiritual force known as the Moravians. We cannot list
all.

In more modern times John R. Mott organized the 1910 International
Missionary Conference, held in Edinburgh. Well attended, this conference
fostered other movements. Out of it sprang the International Missionary
Council in 1921. Bishop Charles Brent of the United States returned from
Edinburgh fired up to create the World Conference of Faith and Order
which was finally brought into being in 1927 at Lausanne. Brent wanted
to confront doctrinal issues head on. With a vision of Christendom
united for rebuilding the world that had been ravaged by World War I,
Archbishop Nathan Söderblom of Uppsala spearheaded a drive to bring
Christians to Stockholm in 1925 for a Life and Work conference.

The World Conference of Faith and Order proposed creating a World
Council of Churches. A 1937 meeting of Life and Faith agreed to explore
joining this movement. At Utrecht in 1938 the two movements united and
set up a preliminary headquarters in Geneva. Roman Catholics and Russian
Orthodox refused involvement, the Russians saying, "Orthodox
Christians must regard the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church as the true
Church of Christ, one and unique." For the Orthodox or Catholics it
seemed that to join was equivalent to saying that all
"churches" are equal. Some regional Orthodox, however, did
send delegates and observers to these various meetings. The World
Council of Churches planned to hold its first conference shortly, but
World War II intervened.

Not until this day, August 22, 1948 was the
plan fulfilled. Then the World Council of Churches was born in
Amsterdam. The International Missionary Council merged with the WCC a
few years later. Later the Roman Catholic Church changed its stance and
sent observers as well as holding its own ecumenical council. Third
world nations became increasingly involved.

The World Council is still a relatively young organization. Some see
it as a sign of God's healing divided churches. Other denominations,
pointing out that it has been frequently manipulated for political
purposes, oppose the Council and write it off as apostate.

Rouse, Ruth. A History of the Ecumenical Movement, edited
by Ruth Rouse and Stephen Charles Neill. Vol. 2, without edition
statement, edited by Harold E. Fey and published on behalf of the
Committee on Ecumenical History, Geneva. Philadelphia, Westminster
Press, 1967 - 70.